Altea: The Lost Empire
by TokyoTeddiWolf
Summary: Basically, The Voltron Crew in Atlantis: The Lost Empire. A bit different from the canon movie, though! Crossposting this on Tumblr, too. Rated T because Keith and Pidge have zero filters when it comes to foul language.
1. Prologue: The Drowned City

_The earliest memory he had was the screaming, the day he lost his mother, the day everything became different. He was still small at the time, barely past his mother's knee. There had been a loud boom, like thunder, and it scared him while he was out in the gardens, playing hide and seek with his sister. Then the screaming started, and it didn't stop. Everyone was running around, yelling and crying and pointing at the giant wall of water heading towards them. He was jostled in the crowd, and he was lost, calling for his mother and father and sister but being drowned out by the louder adults that were pushing him aside as they tried to find some way to stay alive._

 _"_ _The shelters! Get to the shelters!" Someone screamed, as the bells rang out their warnings of the impending disaster. He was so scared; he didn't understand what was happening. He clung tightly to the doll in his arms, since he'd promised his big sister he'd keep it safe. Why was it so dark and cold? What was that glowing light above them? The next thing he knew he was staring at his mother's face; the relief yet fear on it almost palpable. "Lance! Are you alright love?" She asked, kneeling in front of him. He nodded, and she grabbed his arm and started pulling him in the direction of home, the red lights sweeping closer now. But he dropped the doll, and immediately pulled away to grab it. His mother stopped him. "Lance, Lance no, you have to leave it behind! There's no time- ", she stopped speaking when the red light hit her body, the color fading to a lighter blue._

 _She'd stared up at it, her crystal necklace floating up from around her neck, barely breathing and so, so still. Then she'd started glowing, her eyes first, then her crystal. He was looking around, trying to find his father, when there was a flash of light and his mother floated up and towards the brightly lit sky, her grip on his arm loosening yet pulling off the little Blue Lion charm bracelet she'd given him when he was born. "Mother? Mother!" He tried to reach for her, to pull her back to safety, but she had already vanished. A shell of blue energy surrounded the capital, trapping several Alteans inside and shutting out those unfortunate enough to be stuck on the opposite side._

 _The water crashed into the city, washing away buildings and people alike. He cried for his mother to come back, only to be pulled into his father's arms, his sister wrapping herself around him in relief. "Both of you, don't look. Whatever you do, don't look!" Father had ordered, covering his children with his body as he watched the bright ring of light spin faster and faster as the barrier rose higher, engulfing the castle and some of the outer city before the waves crashed into it, the city rumbling and shaking and sinking down, down, down, the ocean overhead making everything dark. The only sound he heard was the shaking, sobbing breaths of his father and sister._

"Keith? Keith! Wake up! You'll be late for your presentation!" Dark violet eyes shot open as the man in question fell out of bed, startled by his older brother's shouting. The clock on the wall telling him that he had twenty minutes to get everything ready and have his ass out the door or else those old fossils at the museum would never listen to him! Dammit!

 _ **/and that's chapter one! Did I do okay? Tell me what you think! I watched the movie while I wrote this, so hopefully it's accurate but with a bit of a twist. Next chapter is the whole Keith is berated and treated like dirt bit, then the whole Atlantis and the journal part! *cracks knuckles* I'm in a writing mood today, so it might be posted by tonight. I have all weekend, baby! Woo!**_


	2. Chapter 1: Beginnings

_***This diverges from the movie a little bit, okay? Keith makes it to the meeting, so this happens instead of what happens in the movie. Enjoy!***_

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. First off, I'd like to thank to thank this board for taking the time to listen to my proposal." It took all he had not to growl when one of the board members yawned. Keith amped up the polite factor, since these guys were the only chance he had… "Now, we've all heard about the legend of Altea, a continent somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean that was home to technology far more advanced than anything we had back then. According to Plato, it was struck by some sort of cataclysmic accident that washed it under the sea. Now, you may be asking, 'Why Altea? Isn't it just a myth? Pure fantasy?' Well, guess what, before the Egyptians built the pyramids, the Alteans had electricity, advanced medicine beyond anything we had then, and even the power to fly!"

One of the board members snorted trying to hide a laugh, and Keith sent a deadly glare in his direction. "Oi. Yeah, you in the back! Fuck off! It's real!" He snapped, shuffling the papers in his hand irritably. "Anyway, the Alteans had a power source greater than anything we could harvest with lightning or coal or gas. Gentlemen, I propose we find that power source and bring it to the surface." He grinned and pulled out a certain paper, sticking it onto the little 'conspiracy board' with a flourish, though he still got mad at Shiro every time he called it that.

"Now, this is a page from an illuminated text that describes a book called the Shepherd's Journal, said to have been a first-hand account of Altea and its exact whereabouts. Now, based on a centuries-old translation of a Norse text, historians have believed the Journal resides in Ireland. But after comparing the text to the runes on this Viking shield, I found that one of the letters had been mistranslated. So, by changing this letter and inserting the correct one, we find that the Shepherd's Journal, the key to Altea, lies not in Ireland, gentlemen, but in Iceland." He stated proudly, hoping that it got through their silly little brains. He paused for a moment. Just to be dramatic. "Alright, any questions?" The old men all looked at each other, and frowned. "I'm afraid we have to reject your proposal, Mr. Kogane. It's absolutely ridiculous!" Keith winced, yup, here we go again…

"This boy gets crazier every year." "Honestly, if I hear one more word about Altea, I'll throw myself in front of a bus!" "I'll push you!" They all roared with laughter. Keith clenched his fist, biting back the urge to deck some of them. Mr. Iverson turned to Keith with a pitying look. "Listen, Kogane, the museum funds expeditions that are based on scientific evidence and facts, not legends and folklore. Besides, we need you here. It's almost winter, the boiler's going to need plenty of repairs!" Laughing, the fat old man left Keith in the hallway, like he had wasted his time or something.

Keith hissed angrily, face reddened and strands of hair loosening from his ponytail. "If you won't accept my proposal, I'll quit! I even have a letter of resignation right here!" He yelled at Iverson's retreating back. The elder turned and sneered at the young cartographer. "Oh please, you'd flush your career down the drain like your grandfather? You have a lot of potential, Keith. Don't throw it away for some fairy tale." He left out the door, Keith scrambling after him. "But I can prove it exists! If you'd just listen to me I-" But the old museum director stopped Keith on the doorstep with a glare as he got into his car. "Listen, you want to go on an expedition so bad, how about you hop in a trolley and go down to the Potomac! Maybe the cold water will clear your head! Heinz!" The car took off, leaving Keith on the sidewalk with an armful of papers and notes.

Thunder rumbled in the sky, so Keith sighed and decided to head home instead. Luckily, he got to his and Shiro's house before the rain started, so that was at least one good thing for today. "Shiro? I'm home…" He called into the darkened room, swinging the door shut behind him. He tried flicking on the light, only for it to stay unresponsive. Just great. The lightning flashed and illuminated his window, startling him for a moment as he realized that someone was in his house. "Keith Kogane?" A woman with hair so blonde it was practically white asked from his favorite chair, gold eyes glinting in the faint light of the window. "Okay, who the fuck are you? How the hell did you get into my house?" Keith demanded, folding his arms across his chest and raising an eyebrow. "I came through the chimney. My name is Haggar Sinclair. I'm here on behalf of my employer, who has an… intriguing proposition for you. Are you interested?" The pale woman, Haggar, asked, tilting her head slightly to the side and adjusting her cloak. Keith figured she was dressed like that to try to impress him or something, low cut dress with leg slits and the dark color contrasting nicely with her light colored features. Too bad Keith was the gayest fuck this side of Washington D.C.

"Oh? Who's your employer then?" Haggar merely smiled.

* * *

Keith's jaw dropped at the huge mansion looming behind the giant wrought-iron gate, a stone block baring a gold plate with the word 'Marmora' in big bold letters as they moved up the driveway. He was ushered inside, Haggar moving quickly forward and speaking as she walked towards an elevator. "This way, please. And don't drip on the Caravaggio. Step lively. Mr. Marmora does not like to be kept waiting." Keith hurried into the elevator behind her, slightly nervous. Haggar's hands flitted over him as the elevator descended, tugging out his ponytail to smooth his hair down, adjusting his jacket, correcting his posture, and tilting his head up to look at her as she spoke with the motions.

"You will address him as 'Mr. Marmora' or 'Sir.' You will stand unless asked to be seated. Keep your sentences short and to the point. Are we clear?" Keith swallowed thickly, nodding confirmation as the elevator reached its destination and opened the gate. "And _relax._ He doesn't bite… often." Haggar smirked, sliding the gates shut and leaving Keith in the strange room full of knickknacks and odd things. He approached the fireplace, raising an eyebrow at the large picture hanging above him. "Grandpa Kolivan?" He muttered, jumping when a voice answered him from near one of the creepy Roman statues. "Finest explorer I ever met!" Keith padded over to the source, an older male with almost purple black hair streaked with silver and eyes like old amber stretching in a weird pose on a mat. He grinned at the startled Linguist, offering his foot out like a hand. "Thace Marmora, pleasure to meet you, Keith! You're Shiro's younger brother, right? Shame about the accident. Heard that he can't look at a fishing boat the same way since." Keith shook the foot quickly before wiping his hand off in his jacket, slightly disgusted. "He's better nowadays, actually. Said he might try stepping on a boat sometime again." He replied calmly.

"Join me for some yoga?" Thace offered, only for Keith to shake his head and decline. "So, you really knew my grandfather?" He asked, tilting his head like a confused puppy. Thace straightened up and nodded, moving over to the couch. "Oh, yeah. Met old Kolivan back in Georgetown. Class of '66. We stayed close friends till the end of his days. Even dragged me along on some of his danged fool expeditions. Kolivan Kogane was crazy as a fruit bat, he was. He spoke of you often, hell, he rivaled Shiro with going on and on about you whenever we went on road trips." Thace said, stretching out a little. Keith frowned. "Funny, he never mentioned you." "Well, he knew how much I liked my privacy. I like to keep a low profile." The strange man explained, moving into a different yoga position.

"Mr. Marmora, is there a reason you wanted me here?" Keith asked, a little low on patience, his foot tapping the floor. "Yes, actually. Look on the table. Your grandfather left it for you. Said if anything ever happened to him, I should give it to you when you were ready. Whatever that meant, he liked speaking in cryptic clues like that." Keith sighed but moved over to the rectangular package on the small ornately carved table, picking it up and frowning as he hefted it in his hand, eventually unwrapping it from the string and brown paper. It felt a lot like… "Oh my god." Keith choked. "You're kidding me. This- This is the Shepherd's Journal! Mr. Marmora, this is the key to finding Altea!" He was bouncing on his heels at this point, feeling more hyper than he'd ever been before. And to think that today started out so shitty. Thace sighed. "I wasn't born yesterday, kiddo." "No, no, no, see there are coordinates and clues-" "It's all in gibberish, a dead language. Useless, really." Thace countered. "No, actually, I've been studying dead languages since I could read and I could probably decode this entire thing!" Keith snapped back, nothing was going to ruin this for him. He was so _close!_ "It's probably fake." "Mr. Marmora, there is no way this is fake. My grandfather would have known if it was. I'm willing to stake my life on the fact that this is the real book." Keith declared fiercely, determined. "Well, even if it is real, what would you do with it?" Thace questioned, raising a brow. Keith thought for a moment. "Well, I'd need funding, maybe from the museum…?" "They'd shoot that down faster than you could blink. They won't believe you." "Okay, point, but dam I will fucking buy a rowboat if I have to! I am not giving up on something I've worked my whole life to try and find!" Keith declared, dark eyes full of fire.

Thace smiled and sat up on the couch. "I'm glad you said that, my boy. That's just what I hoped to hear. Though, how about something a little classier than a rowboat?" Keith froze, slowly turning towards what he assumed was secretly an angel in disguise. "Huh?" Thace pulled a folder file out and grinned. "It's all been arranged. The whole ball of wax." "But, why?" Keith was confused as fuck right now. "Well, partially due to a bet I made with your grandfather after I'd had my ears bent enough with stories about that book and Altea. I told him that if he actually found the book, I'd not only fund his expedition but also kiss him full on the mouth! So uh, I was a tad embarrassed when he actually found the damn thing. I'm a man who keeps his word, and I'll go to my grave with no regrets and debts paid!" Thace said, shooting a smile at the painting.

Thace's smile dropped though, when he turned back to Keith. "Kolivan… he died a broken man. You have no idea how great he really was. Those museum buffoons made a laughingstock out of him, dragged him down and spat dirt on him. If I could bring back a shred of proof, that'd show them." Keith nodded solemnly. "But, you do realize that to pull this off, you'll need a crew?" "Already done!" Thace tossed the folder file to him, who fumbled a little as he caught it and flipped it open. "Hunk Garrett, demolitions and medic, best in his field." "Oh my god, you got Pidge Gunderson too?" Keith gawked at the page. "Yup! Our tech and mechanic expert. Had to break her out of prison, actually. Mind you she'd already halfway hacked her way out when we got to her." Thace stated casually, looking smug at Keith's shocked face.

"I also got the crew that brought the journal back." "Wait, where was it?" "Iceland." "I FUCKING KNEW IT!" Thace laughed. "We just need an expert in gibberish and an engineer." Keith gaped at him. "What about my job?" "You resigned this morning." "My brother?" "Where do you think we got the engineer from? He's already on board." "My cat?" Keith was startled by Antok, his Sphinx cat, jumping up on the couch and mewing at him. Keith's jaw dropped again. "Holy shit." Thace looked highly amused.

"Your granddad had a saying. 'Our lives are remembered by the gifts we leave our children.' This journal is his gift to you, Keith. Altea is waiting. What do you say?" Keith bounced up and down giddily. "I'm your man, Mr. Marmora! You will not regret this. Holy fuck, I am so excited, l-l-l-I can't even hold it in!"

A few hours later however, found Keith leaning over the side of the ship heaving into the water while his brother rubbed circles into his back. "Why… is it always… carrots? I didn't even eat any carrots today!" He whined to the amused man chuckling next to him. "If it helps, I got seasick my first time on a boat too." Shiro tried, still holding in his laughter. Keith reached up and flicked the white forelock on Shiro's head, pouting. Shiro patted Keith's back with his wooden prosthetic as he was called over to take a look at one of the engines for the routine checks before submersion.

Even though he was suffering from a burning throat, Keith figured that there was absolutely nothing that could darken his day right now. He was going to find Altea, and prove that he and his grandfather were right about its existence. He couldn't wait to see it.

 _ **/ wheezes- holy fuck that was a lot to write- okay, next chapter, the Crew gets introduced and shit goes down and woohoo I'm tired and my back hurts and ugh- hope you like it!**_


End file.
